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Speaker 1: We are going to now continue our discussion with our

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Speaker 1: mayoral candidates for Catherine, and we have got quite a

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Speaker 1: number of people who've put their hand up for mayor.

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Speaker 1: And joining me on the line right now is Amanda Kingdon.

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Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Amanda.

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Speaker 2: Good morning Katie. It's so exciting to be here with you.

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Speaker 2: Oh lovely to have you. I'm ready to take the

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Speaker 2: batons all right to the people of Catherine.

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Speaker 1: Well, let's do it, Amanda. You've got six minutes and

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Speaker 1: a number of questions to get through. Are you ready?

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Speaker 2: Yes, all right?

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Speaker 1: Now, why have you decided to put your hand up

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Speaker 1: to be me?

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Speaker 2: Okay? Well, I want to put people first. I want

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Speaker 2: to encourage open communication with constituents. So Catherine, I have

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Speaker 2: been a highly motivated elected member for the last four

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Speaker 2: year term. I've been involved in making hundreds of decisions

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Speaker 2: as a counselor. I always Chairish Showgrounds and Multi Purpose

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Speaker 2: Advisory Committee and had one of the highest attendants of

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Speaker 2: council meetings and events. I would like to encourage new

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Speaker 2: counselors to put forward ideas and support each other, not

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Speaker 2: just to be yes people. I will work towards sustainable

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Speaker 2: growth and transparent governance. That's why I'm standing.

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Speaker 1: Now, Amanda. You've touched on some of your experience and

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Speaker 1: qualifications there, But in terms of your experience and qualifications,

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Speaker 1: which qualifications and experience do you have that you think

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Speaker 1: make you best placed for the position of me?

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Speaker 2: Okay, Katie, Well, we don't actually need any qualifications as such.

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Speaker 2: We just need a willingness to serve the community and

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Speaker 2: represent our community and be the community's voice. So although

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Speaker 2: I have not got any degrees in evening, I've got

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Speaker 2: lots of lived experience. So I've called Catherine my home

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Speaker 2: for twenty six years and I started a family here.

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Speaker 2: I've been volunteering in school council, sporting club committees and

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Speaker 2: currently involved in Christian Outreach Center in governance and leadership,

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Speaker 2: and a member of Red Cross Connected women's group. And

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Speaker 2: I've had my own home business in health and well

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Speaker 2: being for twelve years down here, and my husband had

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Speaker 2: at the time many years ago, had a home business

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Speaker 2: in second hand furniture. So I arrived here twenty six

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Speaker 2: years ago on a one way ticket. I've been employed

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Speaker 2: in office administration in small business NGOs and tg dipple

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Speaker 2: business support for period contracts in the big Rivers region,

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Speaker 2: so I understand the boundaries, so I understand the area.

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Speaker 2: I've worked in tourism, variety of small businesses and recently

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Speaker 2: in the hotel and hospitality. I've had opportunity to participate

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Speaker 2: in Pathways, the Politics for Women's program in June last year,

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Speaker 2: where we heard from many ex and current Chief Ministers

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Speaker 2: and PS Council mayor's and the previously administrator, Vikia Halleran.

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Speaker 2: I gained invaluable insight, skills, knowledge, inspiration and networks. Couple

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Speaker 2: with highlights there were many. One was the speech writing

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Speaker 2: with n Iris Slayer who worked in community engagement, campaigning

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Speaker 2: and advising for eight years in Queensland politics, and invaluable

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Speaker 2: advice given by author, consult consultant and advisor Ruth McGowan.

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Speaker 2: Oh I am. I'm continually investing in myself and recently

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Speaker 2: participated in the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation change Makers workshops

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Speaker 2: contributing and working with like minded people to understand our

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Speaker 2: community and discussing ideas and experiences to benefit community. I've

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Speaker 2: also just recently participated in a digital mentor training program

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Speaker 2: by Australian Senior's Computer Clubs Association to help seniors and.

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Speaker 1: Amanda, what do you see as the most important issues

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Speaker 1: in Catherine for counsel to deal with?

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Speaker 2: Well, of course the issues that come to us is

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Speaker 2: the need to be to be and feel safe on

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Speaker 2: our streets, in our businesses and homes. People are scared

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Speaker 2: and fed up with personal harm and property damage and theft.

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Speaker 2: We need to start implementing tried and tested programs or

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Speaker 2: increase funding to existing charity organizations. Now I know CANCEL

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Speaker 2: or not in that area, but we can advocate for

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Speaker 2: a safe community center, which is needed. We need to

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Speaker 2: get local people trained and working and not hanging around

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Speaker 2: the streets. Community participation and lack of understanding council's role

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Speaker 2: and responsibility is a big issue. It's improved with initiatives

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Speaker 2: from CANCEL in recent years, but there's still people telling

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Speaker 2: me their concerns on rape, rubbish roads, regulations and by laws.

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Speaker 2: Cancel ranges are being accompanied by police housing offices, vets

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Speaker 2: for animal buy law enforcement. This should not be happening.

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Speaker 2: I need. I would like to jump on that. Residents

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Speaker 2: and ratepayers don't understand why we should have to raise

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Speaker 2: the rates every year when our cancer is in a

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Speaker 2: good financial position and as seem to have plenty of

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Speaker 2: reserves investments. The other big issue is waste management and recycling.

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Speaker 1: Amanda, just over a minute left, a couple of questions. Still,

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Speaker 1: what are your top three commitments to voters?

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Speaker 2: Okay, I want to increase community consultation. No, go with

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Speaker 2: our understand the five year strategic plan which we are

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Speaker 2: kicking goals on and we need to be renewed in

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Speaker 2: twenty twenty seven. Working on aging the infrastructure that needs upgrading,

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Speaker 2: implementing improved waste management services, recycling tires and concrete, and

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Speaker 2: introduce green waste curbs ipe in and introducing a greening

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Speaker 2: and climate change Advisory Committee. That's yeah, yep. We need

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Speaker 2: to be shading, greening and cooling our town or hottest

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Speaker 2: climate in the world.

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Speaker 1: Got about thirty seconds left. Now, Amanda, are you a

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Speaker 1: member of a political party or have you ever been?

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Speaker 2: No political party alliance? I'm in the Independent strictly and independent.

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Speaker 2: I grew up on a family farm. I knew that

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Speaker 2: we voted Nationals, but that's all I knew about politics

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Speaker 2: until I came to Catherine. I worked in Department of Infrastructure.

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Speaker 1: Now, Amanda, look, I don't know. I want to ask

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Speaker 1: you a question that a listener's sent through. Feel like,

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Speaker 1: if it's not true, this will be your opportunity obviously

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Speaker 1: to tell us. But someone's just does how you can

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Speaker 1: be mayor or counselor for Catherine. They say you're issued

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Speaker 1: with a trespass notice or reissued with a trespass notice

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Speaker 1: banning you from council chambers. Again, is that the case?

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Speaker 2: It's an unregulated, unlegislated order that has been received from

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Speaker 2: Castin Town Council. Right, Yeah, it's absolutely ridiculous. And the

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Speaker 2: no trespass order stopped on the first of August, so

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Speaker 2: twelve months I had to be subjected and forced to

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Speaker 2: a team's link to all council meetings and there was

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Speaker 2: no question on my performance as an elected member. So yeah,

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Speaker 2: I'm a numb there for the community to serve them.

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Speaker 1: Why did they do that?

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Speaker 2: You need to ask them that because they've been misled

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Speaker 2: and misinformed council members and it's been perceived by us

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Speaker 2: and the CEO is actually I believed to alleged to

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Speaker 2: have been a breach of her code of conduct as

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Speaker 2: a CEO.

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Speaker 1: All right, we'll see, I will ask some questions, Amanda.

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Speaker 1: So I really appreciate you joining us on the show

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Speaker 1: and answering that for us, because I think it's important

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Speaker 1: for people to hear what you've got to say on that.

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Speaker 1: Thank you so much for joining us for our meet

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Speaker 1: the candidates. Good on you, Thank you